President Barack Obama announced yesterday his intent to appoint Ambassador Nancy Soderberg, a Distinguished Visiting Scholar in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at the University of North Florida, to a key administration post.

Soderberg, a Jacksonville Beach resident, will serve as chairperson for the Public Interest Declassification Board, which is an advisory committee established by Congress in order to promote the fullest possible public access to a thorough, accurate and reliable documentary record of significant U.S. national security decisions and activities.

“The public’s right to know what its government does is a critical part of democracy. I look forward to serving on the Public Interest Declassification Board and bringing that perspective to the students here at UNF,” said Soderberg.

In addition to Soderberg, Obama also appointed Elizabeth Rindskopf Parker as a member of the Public Interest Declassification Board as well as Peter H. Bell and Jack Martin Brandt as members of the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities.

“I am honored that these talented individuals have decided to join this Administration and serve our country,” said President Obama. “I look forward to working with them in the months and years to come.”

Soderberg, who has taught political science courses at UNF since 2006, is an author, public commentator and foreign policy expert. She is also president of the Connect U.S. Fund in Washington, D.C., a foundation initiative to promote U.S. engagement in today’s global challenges, and president and CEO of Soderberg Solutions, an international consulting firm.

From 2001-2005, she served as vice president for Multilateral Affairs of the International Crisis Group in New York, a non-profit conflict prevention organization. Soderberg also served in the White House as the third-ranked official on the National Security Council from 1993 to 1996 and as an alternate representative to the United Nations from 1997 to 2001, with the rank of Ambassador. Prior to joining the Administration, she served as Senior Foreign Policy Advisor to Senator Edward M. Kennedy. She has been active in national politics during the last 20 years, serving in a variety of positions on the campaigns of the Democratic nominee for President.

In 2011, Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown appointed Soderberg to the Jacksonville International Business Coalition and in 2008, she was elected precinct committeewoman of the Duval County Democratic Executive Committee. She currently serves as the chair of Florida’s National Security Network.

Her most recent book, “The Prosperity Agenda: What The World Wants From America -- and What We Need In Return,” was published in 2008. Her first book, “The Superpower Myth: The Use and Misuse of American Might,” was published in 2005. She speaks and publishes regularly in leading newspapers and journals on national security policy and is a frequent commentator on national as well as international television and radio. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and serves on the advisory boards of the National Committee on American Foreign Policy and the Stanley Foundation. Additionally, she serves on the board of the Jacksonville World Affairs Council.